Starship Simulator continues to make a big splash during its Kickstarter campaign, as developer Fleetyard Studios proves that the demand for a new space sim is definitely alive and kicking.
We have been covering the campaign since day one and watched as Starship Simulators breezed past its initial funding target in just a couple of days and has followed it up by hitting consistent stretch goals which will bring much more to the initial version than dev Dan Govier ever expected.
With VR and Shuttles and Alien Structures already funded, Starship Simulator has now hit its next stretch goal and will bring with it planetary landings. With just a third of the campaign left to run, planetary landings are perhaps the most ambitious feature to date, something it took space sim Elite Dangerous years to add to its base game.
In an email sent out to backers, Dan and Claire, the team behind Fleetyard said, “Wow, another stretch goal bites the dust, and this was the big one! It might not be the biggest goal financially, but in terms of what it means for the game, this is what really makes us feature complete.”
Planetary landings are a big step as other games have struggled to keep them interesting but the chance to land on the celestial bodies you discover on your adventures will be hugely exciting for fans of the genre.
How planetary landings will actually work
The email goes on to describe how this is all going to work saying:
“So how is this actually going to work? Well, once you are in orbit around a planet, you’ll be able to head down to your flight deck and grab a shuttle.
You’ll need to pilot the shuttle down towards the planet until you hit a low altitude, which will probably be in the region of 50-100km. At that point you will be presented with a brief loading transition, and we’ll be making every effort to make that as seamless as possible.
Once the surface is generated, which should only take a few seconds, you’ll find yourself back in control of your shuttle and free to fly around looking for a place to set down.
Once landed, you’ll be able to open the door and make that one small step onto a new world.
For us, this is the final piece of the puzzle that completes our overall vision for the game. Venture out into the stars, find an interesting planet, explore its surface on foot, and then bring home a couple of nice trinkets to remind you of the experience. The next year is going to be very exciting indeed!”
If Starship Simulator can raise another £75k in the next 10 days it will hit the next stretch goal of a standalone ship vs ship combat mode. So get ready for Battle Stations.
We will continue to let you know of its progress. If you are interested and haven’t backed the game yet you can find it on Kickstarter.
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